Bowood Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort

Bowood Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort sits within the Bowood Estate in Wiltshire, home to the Lansdowne family for more than 250 years. Alongside the hotel and spa, the estate holds an 18-hole championship golf course designed by Dave Thomas and opened in 1992, laid out across 1,500 acres of parkland regarded as one of the best-preserved “Capability” Brown landscapes in England.

The course is recognised as the PGA’s official course and academy for the South West, with a dedicated academy running alongside the 18 holes for lessons and clinics. Its signature hole, the 8th, known as Queenwood, plays to a sharp dogleg guarded by water down the left — one of several holes shaped by the estate’s mature trees and natural contours rather than manufactured hazards.

The hotel holds an AA 4-star rating, with rooms and suites finished in a country-house style and dining at the Shelburne Restaurant, awarded two AA Rosettes. A spa, afternoon tea service and access to the wider gardens round out a stay that extends well beyond the golf, and the resort has picked up a South West Tourism Gold Award for the quality of its hospitality.

Beyond the course, the wider estate opens its historic house and gardens to visitors, including the collection inside Bowood House and an Adventure Playground with a pirate ship, zip lines and aerial walkways — giving non-golfers and families travelling with a group plenty to do while golfers play their round.

The estate also issues a limited number of annual permits for horse riding along a six-mile parkland route and for coarse and trout fishing on its Capability Brown-landscaped lake, alongside a seasonal Summer Adventures programme covering archery, off-road driving and outdoor wall climbing.

Group & Society Golf at Bowood

Bowood welcomes golf societies of eight or more for what it calls “Business On The Green” days, pairing a round on the championship course with catering, professional coaching and optional extras such as a “Beat The Pro” challenge against one of the resort’s PGA professionals. Packages range from a simple bacon roll and round through to a full day of golf, dining and a post-round drinks reception, with on-course branding available for corporate groups.

With accommodation for up to 43 guests on site, a golf day can easily extend into an overnight stay, taking in the spa, the Shelburne Restaurant and the gardens and parkland beyond it — turning a single round into a short break for clubs and societies travelling from further afield.

For English golf clubs and societies planning an away day or short break, Bowood combines a championship course with hotel, spa and dining facilities on a single site in North Wiltshire, within easy reach of Bath and the M4 corridor.